Dragger recovers wallet belonging to long-missing Trescott fisherman

Debris from the Bottom Basher is piled on the Coast Guard dock at Eastport in October 2009.

Sharon Kiley Mack | BDN

Sharon Kiley Mack | BDN

U.S. Coast Guard Capt. James McPherson, commander of Coast Guard Sector Northern New England out of Portland, points to the search area on a chart of Cobscook Bay in October 2009.

LUBEC, Maine — It has been more than three years since Trescott fisherman Joseph Jones, then 29, went down with his fishing vessel The Bottom Basher in a treacherous area of Cobscook Bay, but neither his body nor his boat has been located or recovered.

Wright said Tuesday that the discovery of Jones’ wallet won’t immediately trigger a new search for his body and his 34-foot vessel.

“There are a lot of scallop and sea urchin draggers out there now, in areas that have been closed for three years, so maybe they’ll find something else,” Wright said.

The Bottom Basher was one of three fishing vessels to be lost in Cobscook Bay during a nine-month period during 2009. The area near the Whiting Bay reversing falls is known by local fishermen for its potentially treacherous currents and tides.